Tag Archives: Samsung Epic 4G

Samsung is well known for not pushing out Android updates well in time. By the time any Samsung handset gets an Android update Google probably might have already released next two iterations of the software.

Sprint and Samsung finally released Froyo/Android 2.2 update on Samsung Epic 4G a couple of days ago and it turns out they had to pull it down due to issues faced after the upgrade. People have been complaining about data connectivity issues and some SD card issues while attempting to access photos, videos, etc. on the SD card. Here’s the official statement -:

There have been an increased number of calls into Care regarding issues with the Epic following the upgrade. As a result, the upgrade will not be pushed to more devices until a resolution for these issues is in place. The OTW update on the Samsung website will also be taken down.

Sprint and Samsung are actively working to correct these problems and release the update to all devices.

The issues being reported are related to data connectivity following the upgrade and SD card issues when attempting to access photos, music, etc. If you are experiencing these issues, a hard reset has been reported to resolve the problems. A hard reset will wipe out all the data on your device, so a backup should be done first.

So if you are wondering why hasn’t your Epic 4G received the Froyo update yet count yourself as lucky and not messing up the device. Sprint and Samsung are said to be working together to push a bug free update as soon as possible.

As reported earlier by us, Samsung has started rolling out the Android 2.2 FroYo update for the Sprint branded Epic 4G. Originally, the FroYo update was supposed to come in an OTA form. However, Samsung went ahead and released an exe file that will help Epic owners update their handset to Android 2.2.

The EB13 software build version is available in an exe form for Windows users, which will allow them to easily update their handset to FroYo, irrespective of the current firmware the handset is running on. For Mac owners, Samsung has an update.zip’ file which will only work with the DI18 software build or above.

However, users should keep in mind that updating via the above method will wipe their handset clean of all their data including contacts and SMS. Thus, users are advised to make backups of their important data present on the phone before proceeding with the firmware update. Epic 4G owners can download the update from here.

The Android 2.2 update for the Epic 4G will include support for Flash 10.1, ability to install apps in the SD card, better memory management, improved battery life, a kernel update and some bug fixes.

The Samsung Galaxy S has four variants in the U.S. the Samsung Captivate available on the AT&T network, Fascinate on the Verizon network, Epic 4G on Sprint’s network and the T-Mobile branded Vibrant. All the four variants have some subtle changes compared to the original Galaxy S.

However, one major difference is that the original Galaxy S got its Android 2.2 update nearly 4 months ago, but 3 out of the 4 U.S. variants of the Galaxy S are still rocking Android 2.1. T-Mobile rolled out the Android 2.2 update for the Vibrant nearly a month ago, but sadly users need to use Samsung’s KIES software to update their handset.

Now, it looks like another U.S. variant of the Galaxy S the Sprint branded Epic 4G will be getting its Android 2.2 FroYo update next week. The folks over at Android Police have managed to get their hands on some leaked internal documents of Sprint. The documents state that the Android 2.2 update for the Epic 4G will start rolling out from the beginning of next week i.e. Feb 21.

Unlike the Vibrant, the Epic’s 4G Froyo update will be an OTA (Over-The-Air) one. Along with Android 2.2, the update is also expected to bring improvements to the GPS performance of the device and Bluetooth device support.

There has been a lot of controversy about the Android 2.2 Froyo update for all the Galaxy S variants in the United States including the T-Mobile branded Samsung Vibrant. First, it looked like the update was being held back by Samsung so as to force’ its users to buy the upcoming Vibrant 4G.

Later on, rumors started flowing around that Samsung wanted to charge the carriers for the update and thus there was a tiff between (Samsung and carriers) them which was delaying the update. Samsung squished all the above rumors in an email and promised to release more information about the delay behind the update soon.

Now, T-Mobile has announced that they will start rolling out the Android 2.2 update for the Vibrant owners beginning from today i.e. 21st January itself. Since the update will be rolled out in an OTA form and in batches so Vibrant owners need to be patient for the update to hit their phones.

Hopefully, the carrier will keep its word and start rolling out the update from today itself.

Another U.S carrier Sprint has also announced that they are working on the Android 2.2 update for the Samsung Epic 4G. The carrier and the Korean company are working hard to release the update ASAP’ but will release it only after it meets all the rigorous’ testing standard of Sprint.

Hopefully, Sprint will also release the Android 2.2 update for the Epic 4G before the end of this month.

Nearly a week ago, we had reported that Samsung might be intentionally holding back the Android 2.2 update for the Samsung Vibrant in the United States. Since then, another rumor popped up on the Internet that the update is not being rolled out because of a tiff between the U.S carriers and Samsung. Reportedly, that the reason behind this tiff was that Samsung wanted to charge the carriers for the Android 2.2 update, which the carriers did not agree to.

Nevertheless, this news spread like a fire on the Internet and definitely pissed off a lot of Samsung Galaxy S owners along with giving the Korean company some extremely bad publicity. Now, Samsung have sent an email to PhoneScoop confirming that they are not going to charge the U.S carriers for the Android 2.2 update. However, the company did not provide any other information about the Android 2.2 update except for promising that they will provide more details on the update shortly’.

Thankfully, this move from Samsung will at least kill all the rumors regarding the Android 2.2 update for the Galaxy S handsets in the States floating around the Internet. Samsung has started rolling out the Android 2.2.1 update for the Galaxy S handsets in all regions of the world except for the States. So I wonder what’s stopping them from releasing the update in the United States.

Hopefully, Samsung will come out clear and tell us the reason for the delay instead of giving a diplomatic answer.

Samsung has been slowly rolling out the Android 2.2 Froyo update for its Galaxy S series all over the world including Canada and India. The update roll out has not been a smooth one and Samsung had to pull back its Android 2.2 update in many regions due to buggy firmwares.

However, Samsung has been totally ignoring the 3 million plus Galaxy S variants owners in the United States until now. The company has not even mentioned when they will be rolling out the update in the States.

However, now it looks like Sammy is all set to roll out the update for three of the Galaxy S variants – the Vibrant, Epic 4G and the Fascinate – in the States. Only the AT&T branded Galaxy S variant Captivate and the dual-screen Samsung Continuum are left out from this Froyo party.

The U.S product pages of all the three handsets mentioned before have been updated by Samsung to show that they are running on Android 2.2. The only thing left now for Samsung is to officially roll out the Android 2.2 update for the handsets. Hopefully, all the Galaxy S variants in the U.S will get their Froyo update by January 2011.

The folks over at XDA forums have done it again. They have managed to get their hands on apparently – the official Android 2.2 update for the Samsung Epic 4G. The update was found in an OTA form hosted in Google’s own server.

The Android 2.2 update for the Epic 4G will bring lots of enhancements like JIT compiler, Flash 10.1 and better memory management.

Samsung has also jazzed up their TouchWIZ UI with new colorful icons and helicopter’ view in the home screen. The update is also based on the latest version of Froyo i.e. on Android 2.2.1. Epic 4G owners can download the OTA update directly from Google servers from here. To know more about the changes this OTA brings and how to flash it, users should read this thread on XDA.

Hopefully, Samsung will roll out the Android 2.2 update for other Galaxy S variants in the U.S before this year ends.

Samsung started rolling out the Android 2.2 (Froyo) update for unbranded Galaxy S handsets in early November. The Korean company has been slowly rolling out the update to unlocked devices in various regions of the world. It was just a couple of days ago that the company started rolling out the Android 2.2 update for the Galaxy S in India.

Now, Samsung and T-Mobile UK have started rolling out the Android 2.2 update for T-Mobile branded Galaxy S devices in the U.K.

Along with the usual KIES release, T-Mobile has also released an OTA (Over-The-Air) software update. However, the OTA update might be delayed so users are recommended to try out KIES first. It is still unknown when all the four carrier branded variants of the Galaxy S AT&T’s Captivate, Verizon’s Fascinate, Sprint’s Epic 4G and T-Mobile’s Vibrant in the United States will get their share of Froyo love.

Hopefully, Samsung will release the Android 2.2 update for these devices before the end of the year.

Samsung has already started rolling out Android 2.2 update in various parts of the world. The roll out is expected to be completed by the end of this month. However, Samsung has not mentioned when the U.S. variants of the Galaxy S will be getting the Android 2.2 update.

The Vibrant and the Captivate have already had their taste of Froyo thanks to some leaked firmwares. Yesterday, the Epic 4G joined that list thanks to Firon.

Firon has released a new ROM for the Epic 4G based on a leaked Android 2.2 firmware (DJ29). The ROM is a pretty basic one (deodexed, zip-aligned and pre-rooted) and only contains the usual Froyo goodies.

The catch? Browsing performance is actually slower than what it was on Android 2.1 based firmware and the audio sometimes skips when on 3G. Epic 4G owners can download the ROM from here.

Samsung has rolled out a minor software update for the Sprint Epic 4G. The DI07 update should be available for all Epic owners at the time of reading this article. The DI07 software update fixes some bugs present in the software and optimizes it as well. This software update also adds Media Hub’ functionality to the 4G handset from Sprint.

Media Hub provides Epic owners access to the most popular movies and TV shows. Here is the official change-log from Samsung :

The Epic 4G belongs to the Galaxy S series of handsets from Samsung. The phone features a 4-inch touch-screen with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. Hopefully, the Epic 4G will get its Android 2.2 update soon as well.